RelationshipsSample story

Starting again at 42

by Sarah

What happened?

After a long marriage, my husband told me he was leaving. We'd built everything together, so it didn't feel like one thing ending. It felt like all of it.

What was the hardest part?

Waking up in a quiet house. And the admin. Nobody warns you how much admin there is in heartbreak.

What actually helped?

Small routines. A walk every morning, even when I didn't want to. Saying yes to one thing a week, however small.

What didn't help?

Rushing. I tried to have a 'new life' sorted within months and I wasn't ready.

What do you know now that you wish you'd known then?

That the future I'd imagined wasn't the only good one available. I just couldn't see the others yet.

What happened next?

I live somewhere smaller and I chose every single thing in it. Some evenings are still lonely. But it feels like mine now.